Washington Monthly鈥檚 rankings are based on what institutions 鈥渄o for our country鈥� 鈥� contributions to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service. All of those categories align well with UCF鈥檚 mission and commitments to unleashing potential by empowering all students to succeed, and serving as a talent pipeline to industries critical to our region and state.

UCF rose 11 spots from last year to rank No. 36 among Best National Universities. UCF also ranks No. 16 nationally among peer public universities, advancing 26 spots in the past two years.

UCF also moved into the top 20 among universities nationally for social mobility and advanced to No. 9 for Best Bang for Your Buck School in the Southeast.

鈥淎t UCF, our mission is to unleash potential through access to high-quality education and the opportunity to earn success,鈥� UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright says. 鈥淚n doing so, we are not just transforming individual lives, but uplifting our entire community, driving success and prosperity for generations to come.鈥�

In the social mobility category, UCF jumped to No. 20, up 17 spots from last year and 38 from 2021. UCF also聽rose 14 spots in the past two years to move into the top ten among Best Bang for Your Buck schools in the Southeast for the first time.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to see UCF climb in the social mobility rankings,鈥� says UCF鈥檚 Senior Vice President for Student Success Paul Dosal.鈥�淲e believe firmly in the transformative power of higher education.鈥疻hen we admit students, their success is our top priority as we support them through graduation and help them pursue high-impact careers.聽For the thousands and thousands of limited-income, first-generation students and underrepresented minorities we serve, that means we give them the chance to unleash their potential and improve their lives.鈥�

As a metropolitan research university that empowers faculty to find innovative solutions to local and global challenges, UCF ranks No. 105 for Research 鈥� eight spots higher than 2021. UCF鈥檚 dedicated efforts to supporting our community and engaging students and alumni in opportunities to give back is recognized with a No. 163 ranking for Service.

Prioritizing Student Success to Drive Social Mobility

UCF鈥檚 efforts to accelerate student success and enhance well-being prepare our graduates to lead enriched and fulfilling lives, and to have the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that align with the workforce of the future.

The number of students who received Pell Grants and graduated was also considered, with UCF producing 5,166 in the last year. UCF is the second-highest producer of graduates with Pell Grants across all institutions Washington Monthly ranked this year.

鈥淎 higher education degree is the ticket to a better life,鈥� Dosal says. 鈥淢y life changed for the better because I earned a college degree.鈥疘 am proud that we can give these same opportunities to other students, who find UCF is an institution that cares deeply and sincerely about promoting social mobility and economic prosperity for our state and country.鈥�

Investing in Critical Research to Benefit Humankind

UCF aspires to be the No. 1 provider of diverse talent and fuel the nation鈥檚 talent pipeline across critical areas, many of which are STEM fields that rely on evolving research. Washington Monthly considers the number of science and engineering Ph.D.s awarded by institutions, and UCF awarded 217 in the last year.

UCF alumni work for major companies such as Lockheed Martin and Siemens, which are key partners that provide experiential learning experiences for our students. Recently engineering alum Raghu Kancherla 鈥�19PhD received the Dilip R. Ballal Early Career Engineering Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers鈥� International Gas Turbine Institute.鈥疜ancherla, in part, is honored for developments he made at UCF that have been used in academia, industry and government agencies to advance supercritical CO2 combustion technology.

His mentor, Professor Subith Vasu, also received the award in 2017 鈥� which highlights how students benefit from the expertise and guidance of UCF鈥檚 world-renowned faculty to make their own impact on the world.

Research funding also contributes to the overall ranking. Among the innovations developed at UCF are:

• An artificial intelligence (AI) model, developed by students, researchers and faculty members Ozlem Garibay 鈥�01MS 鈥�08PhD and Sudipta Seal, that accelerates the development of life-saving medicines that otherwise take billions of dollars and decades to produce.
• The first large-scale and multicolor alternative to pigment-based colorants, which can contribute to energy-saving efforts 鈥� reducing costs and helping to reduce global warming. This novel technology was created by Professor Debashis Chanda.
• Engineered tissue with human cells to study how to fight diseases transmitted by mosquitos 鈥� the world鈥檚 deadliest animal. This was created by College of Medicine researchers Bradley Jay Willenberg with Mollie Jewett working with a 海角直播 of Tennessee faculty member.

Dedicated Efforts to Serving Others

UCF fosters a culture of innovation, public service and collaboration, and aims to be a model for civil discourse.

Students鈥� enrollment in service-oriented majors, such as social work and public administration, was also considered 鈥� with about one in five UCF students pursuing a field with a focus on helping others. Institutions that received the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification 鈥� which UCF received in 2015 鈥� also received points toward their ranking. UCF received six points for voter engagement, the highest number institutions received for this factor.

Students鈥� engagement in ROTC programs contributed to the ranking. UCF is home to the Fighting Knights Battalion, an Army ROTC program that hosted its 15th annual Iron Knight Challenge, which recruits students to the program, this spring. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 159, which is also known as the Flying Knights and celebrated 50 years at UCF last year, is also a part of Knight Nation.

The number of alumni active with the Americorps and Peace Corps contribute to Washington Monthly鈥檚 ranking 鈥� with 229 Knights engaged in volunteer work nationally and internationally.

The magazine鈥檚 2022 College Guide and Rankings considers three equally weighted portions that indicate institutions鈥� contribution to the public good: social mobility, research, and community and national service. Placements on this year鈥檚 rankings indicate UCF is not just a good place to earn an education, but a place that unleashes the potential of its people to do good in the world.

鈥淎merica needs a different definition of higher education excellence, one that empowers public institutions at the expense of elites, instead of the other way around,鈥� Washington Monthly states in its rankings release. 鈥淥ne that measures what colleges do for their country, instead of for themselves. 鈥� Instead of rating colleges by wealth, fame, and exclusivity, we prize social mobility, public service, and research.鈥�

Among public universities, UCF ranks 22nd for Best National Universities, 19th for Social Mobility, 68th for Research and 89th for Service. Rankings are based on publicly available data largely collected by the federal government and each of the three major portions considers a variety of contributing factors.

鈥淎t the 海角直播, we take great pride in providing students with access to success in higher education. By offering opportunities to large numbers of first-generation students, we give thousands of hopeful young [people] the chance to unleash their own potential,鈥� says Paul Dosal, senior vice president for Student Success.

Across all institutions, UCF earned the No. 107 spot for Research and No. 151 for Service. The Best National 海角直播 Rankings places 442 institutions out of the 1,466 considered, including public, private nonprofit and for-profit colleges, across four-year colleges and universities.

Social Mobility: An Affordable, High-quality Education That Leads to Long-term Success

As the No. 19 public institution for social mobility, UCF knows higher education has the ability to break the break the cycle of intergenerational hardship and lead to prosperity for individuals of any background.

鈥淎 higher education degree is the ticket to longer, healthier, happier and more prosperous lives,鈥� Dosal says. 鈥淪o, by providing students with a timely pathway to a degree, with minimal level of debt and fully prepared for success in the global marketplace or graduate school, we are making a significant contribution to social mobility and the economic development of our region, state and country.鈥�

Some of the data Washington Monthly considered for its ranking includes eight-year graduation rates for all students, which is 72% at UCF 鈥� higher than other well-respected and nationally recognized schools like ASU (64%) and 海角直播 of Kansas (64%). The number of UCF’s Pell grant graduates in the last academic year, which is more than any other school in Florida, and the percentage of students who receive Pell grants were also considered. As of Spring 2022, 31% of UCF students are Pell-grant eligible. Measures across actual versus predicted data was also considered including graduate rates based on the student body makeup and earnings of individuals 10 years after entering college.

Metrics related to loan repayments covered two factors as well. As of Spring 2022, 42% of UCF students are the first in their family to attend a college or university. Of first-time-in-college students at UCF, nearly 60% graduate without any educational debt.

In 2021, philanthropist and author MacKenzie鈥疭cott and her husband, Dan Jewett, invested $40 million in UCF, which is being used to strengthen the university鈥檚 focus on fostering social mobility while developing the skilled talent needed to advance industry across the鈥痵tate and beyond.

Social Mobility rankings were also used to inform the Best Bang for the Buck rankings, which were divided into five regions and indicate how well schools help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.

Research: Advancing Scientific Discovery

Without funding, research would not be possible, which is why Washington Monthly includes institutional research spending as a measure for its Research category. Despite a pandemic that slowed the economy; delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies鈥� spending plans; and frustrated supply chains, UCF generated $212.9 million in research awards in 2021 鈥� up more than $8 million from 2020.

The number of science and engineering Ph.D.s awarded and the number of undergraduate alumni who go on to earn Ph.D.s, were also considered. Founded in 1963 as an engineering-based institution driven to supply talent to the nearby Kennedy Space Center (KSC), UCF has a strong history of producing a large number of science and engineering graduates. Over the past 10 years, UCF has awarded over 1,500 doctorates in STEM fields, accounting for about 24% of all doctoral degrees. UCF has also recently joined a national alliance that aims to double the number of Hispanic doctoral students at member institutions.

This summer UCF awarded its 400,000 degree since it began offering classes in 1968 to a Laura Segarra 鈥�22PhD, a KSC employee who earned a鈥�doctorate in industrial engineering. Dozens of UCF alums are supporting America鈥檚 space program through their work on the Artemis program. More than 20 UCF faculty and researchers and several students are also working on projects related to scientific discovery facilitated by the program.

Faculty excellence also contributes to the research measure as prestigious awards among full-time faculty and the proportion of those who are members of the national academies are factored in as well. Some of the national academies UCF faculty have been inducted into within the past year include the National Academy of Inventors, Jefferson Science Fellowship (which is administered by the National Academies), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, National Academy of Public Administration, and National Academy of Engineering.

Service: Giving Back to Our National and Global Communities

UCF not only promotes a culture of excellence in classrooms and research facilities, but across our campus and community as service remains an essential component of the university鈥檚 creed.

Some of Washington Monthly鈥檚 measures for community service include the number of students enrolled in campus ROTC programs and Carnegie Community Engagement Classification 鈥� which UCF received in 2015.

The percentages of students in AmeriCorps and alumni in the Peace Corps, using pre-pandemic data as the program paused in 2020, relative to college size was another factor. Prior to the pandemic, the Peace Corps ranked UCF as No. 24 for top volunteer-producing universities and colleges among large institutions in 2020,鈥痺ith 39 Knights volunteering around the world. UCF political science alum Bernice Cabral 鈥�19 is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service this year.

Community service measures also whether colleges match Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards; the percentage of work-study grant money spent on community service projects; and student voting engagement, which UCF earned recognition for within a separate category on this year鈥檚 rankings.

Voting: A Commitment to Fostering Civic Engagement

While Washington Monthly notes that traditionally many college administrators do not consider improving voter turnout as part of their duties, individuals who pursue higher education are more likely to be civically engaged. UCF has recognized its responsibility to empower students to vote while at the university 鈥� aiming to help Knights establish a pattern of participation in this important democratic practice.

To make the list, 鈥渟chools need to have shown a repeated commitment to increasing student voting 鈥� and have been transparent about the results,鈥� according to Washington Monthly鈥檚 methodology statement. Since Washington Monthly has begun including measures on student voting in 2018, UCF has placed on the list for five consecutive years.

This criterion includes submitting action plans to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, signing up to receive data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) 鈥� which calculates college-specific registration and voting rates 鈥� and making that data available to the public.

鈥淲e鈥檙e honored to receive this designation as a 2022 Washington Monthly Student Voting Honor Roll campus,鈥� says Amanda Dever, assistant director for Community Engagement in the Office of Student Involvement. 鈥淭his designation is a result of collaboration across the university, and we are excited to continue voter engagement efforts this year.鈥�

Last year, UCF received a Gold Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for nonpartisan student voter participation efforts in the 2020 election. The challenge aims to promote a more engaged democracy across colleges and universities and UCF exceeded its goal of 70% voter engagement among students by 5%. A 2021 study from NSLVE found UCF had a student voting rate outpaced the national average by 9%. The NSLVE report also found that 89% of UCF鈥檚 student body is registered to vote and 84% of those registered voters participated in the 2020 election. Nationally, about 80% of registered students voted in 2020.